It’s funny that so many hardcore, previously regarded PC-centric genres are seeing a console revival. In the ’90s, gamers thought the FPS would only thrive with a keyboard and mouse, but now it’s one of the most bankable types of controller-bound games to make. The Real-Time Strategy (RTS) is home to plenty of titles that have made the transition quite well. MMOs, “Point and Click” games… the list goes on. One of the more recent efforts can be seen in the Mutliplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre with the release of Ronimo Games’s Awesomenauts.
In Awesomenauts, two teams of up to four players are pitted against each other in a 2D side-scrolling arena in which the only objective is to invade the enemy base and destroy it. This simple goal is marred by a surprisingly robust load-out system complemented by level progression; the more you play, the more you earn. Kills are dependent on how quick and skillful the player is at platforming and close-quarters combat. It’s a game that at first feels unfamiliar, but really clicks after just a few hours in.
Here’s what we liked:
Deep simplicity- Watching gameplay footage makes it easy to assume Awesomenauts is just some sidescrolling shooter. Once you start earning load-outs however, and having to think about which ones to equip (you can only take three for each of the four categories – two character-specific weapons, main weapon and character enhancements), your personal strategies vault into play. Characters have different attributes; for example Clunk, the heaviest, is slow but powerful, whereas Leon is small, quick and can cloak. These attributes mix up strategy as you progress and unlock more huge variety to your play style. Acquiring load-outs in-game is no easy feat, however; players must collect solar (currency) by killing enemies or turrets. Solar can then be exchanged upon respawn at a vending machine to buy new load-outs.
Balanced gameplay - Despite what load-outs players may have, they must skillfully execute enemies to gain solar to spend on them. Solar is also slowly earned over time, and even when players respawn they’re able to acquire more by aiming their drop pods along paths of solar blocks to get a bit of a boost. As mentioned earlier, kills don’t come easy in Awesomenauts – all players have a certain amount of health that must be whittled down before a frag is earned. The developers at Ronimo Games have thought through the numerous aspects of this game’s combat to make sure that game exploits won’t come often, if at all.
This game got style - The art style in Awesomenauts is engaging in a Saturday morning cartoon kind of way. It’s colourful and highlights well the important pieces of each battle. Even the cheesy late ’80s and early ’90s pop vibe in its opening cinematic adds a humorous charm and personality.
Easy to find matches - The game gets the player right into the action. In just a few button presses you’re on the way to teaming up with others to take down the opposing team, which the game usually finds rather quickly. Or if the game is taking longer than expected to find a match, it’ll thrust you into an arena against bots to pass the time and alert you once it’s found other human players to join up with. There wasn’t a moment when the game seemed to be affected by lag or drop outs because of hosting issues. However if online isn’t your thing, the game also offers split-screen co-operative/competitive multiplayer.
Here’s what we didn’t like:
It’s not twin-stick - Unfortunately Awesomenauts doesn’t offer twin-stick controls for those who have become accustomed in recent years (also known as standard). Not being able to run left and shoot right can be frustrating when having to fall back because a couple of puny droids are marching in your direction. It’s also annoying when having to jump between platforms while chasing another player down, since you can only aim in the direction you’re moving. Not being able to aim diagonally somewhere while remaining stationary often has you unintentionally running into another skirmish that’s better left alone.
Forgettable premise - Not really a negative point against the game, but Awesomenauts‘ attempt at a backstory or purpose for the game is unnecessary. Something about a conflict in the 36th century and robots fighting each other or whatever.
With the right community playing Awesomenauts, it has the potential to be a quickfire multiplayer game that gamers will find easy to drop in and out of. The matches don’t usually last more than maybe 10 minutes and I often found two or three matches at a time to be satisfactory. It serves as a great introduction to small-team MOBA games or even just to entertain those looking for an accessible multiplayer game.
Score: Buy it!
Awesomenauts was developed by Ronimo Games and published by dtp entertainment AG. It was released May 1st, 2012 for $9.99US/$15.95AU/£7.99/€9.99.
Awesomenauts Review is a post from: PSN Fans
